Innovation in action: Behind the scenes at the first HDR UK & ELIXIR-UK Joint Hackathon
The first HDR UK & ELIXIR-UK Joint Hackathon brought together technical professionals at the intersection of health data and life sciences for three days of collaboration, creativity, and problem-solving – driving forward solutions to shared challenges across the ecosystem.
Hosted at the Jubilee Hotel and Conferences in Nottingham last week, the event buzzed with energy as project leads and participants came together to develop open-source solutions, explore new ways to integrate health and life science data, and strengthen connections across the UK research ecosystem.
The Hackathon officially kicked off with a warm welcome from Tim Beck, both an organiser and participant, setting the scene for three days of innovation, collaboration, and fun. His introduction was followed by opening remarks from Emily Jefferson (Chief Technology Officer at HDR UK) and Carole Goble (Head of Node at ELIXIR-UK), two leading voices in the field, who highlighted the importance of community and teamwork in tackling shared technical challenges.
Following the opening remarks, project leads took the stage for flash presentations, delivering three-minute pitches to showcase their ideas and attract collaborators. The Hackathon projects, shaped around HDR UK and ELIXIR-UK’s technical priorities, ranged from refining data pipelines to improving interoperability and building new analytical tools to accelerate scientific discovery. Sparked by shared purpose, curiosity, and excitement, attendees explored their options – connections ensued, teams formed, and the first hacking sessions began!
Day two saw teams deep in development, breaking only for a short project update (and sustenance, of course). As ideas took shape, participants strategised new approaches, refined their work, shared progress, and tackled technical challenges together. Evenings were equally engaging, with a lively quiz night and an escape room challenge adding to the experience.
By the final morning, excitement built as teams got ready to showcase their project outputs in seven-minute final presentations – a culmination of intense effort and collaboration. The Hackathon wrapped up with inspiring closing remarks from Tim and a final group lunch, leaving participants with new connections, fresh insights, and projects with real potential to drive innovation in health data and life sciences.
“The Hackathon was a great success, showcasing the incredible power of collaboration across the health data and life sciences sectors. Over three days, we saw creativity, problem-solving, and teamwork come to life as diverse teams united to develop solutions that have the potential to drive real innovation in the field. It was especially rewarding for me to experience it both as an organiser and a participant, seeing firsthand how everything came together so well. It’s a true testament to what we can achieve when we come together with shared purpose and passion.”
Tim Beck, University of Nottingham
With live demos, impromptu brainstorming sessions, and real-time problem-solving, the Hackathon highlighted the power of collaboration in tackling technical challenges in health data science. Attendees brought a diverse range of skills and expertise, gaining hands-on experience, building cross-sector partnerships, and forming connections across disciplines.
Stay tuned for more updates as the outputs of these projects continue to evolve, and in the meantime, enjoy this behind-the-scenes look at the inaugural HDR UK & ELIXIR-UK Joint Hackathon.
Recourses
Notes to editors
About ELIXIR-UK
ELIXIR-UK is part of the European ELIXIR infrastructure, which supports life science research and its translation to medicine, the environment, and society. By integrating national bioinformatics resources, ELIXIR-UK aims to provide a sustainable infrastructure for biological information, ensuring that data is effectively managed, analysed and shared across the scientific community.
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